It will be a long climb back for Aleksandra Wozniak.
The 23-year-old from Blainville, Que., was Canada's top female tennis player when she was sidelined in September with tendinitis in her right forearm and then had to watch as the WTA Tour went on without her.
Her ranking, which peaked at 21st in the world in 2009, has dropped to 138th.
But now she feels strong again and has resumed training under new coach Zdenek Zofka. She hopes to return to competitive match play at a Fed Cup World Group series that begins Feb. 4 in Serbia.
"It's been tough, but I'm healthy and I'm back," she said Wednesday at Uniprix Stadium. "I've worked a lot on being patient. It was a learning year in 2010 and I'm glad it's over."
In her absence, Rebecca Marino of Vancouver has become Canada's best at No. 104.
Wozniak said she is not setting a goal for where she wants to be in the rankings this season.
"I just want to get back to playing well," she said. "I want to focus on the process and not the numbers."
Wozniak's return was delayed more than three weeks in November by an unspecified "personal health problem," which removed any hope of returning in time for the Australian Open now under way in Melbourne.
She got back to fitness training in December and has been on court with Zofka since Jan. 3.
Since she was a child, Wozniak had been coached by her father Antoni, a former pro soccer player from Poland. Tennis Canada hired Zofka, a Czech with 25 years of coaching experience, on a trial basis to fine-tune her game and help her return to form. He expects to work with her for at least a year.
"We're communicating on how I can improve my game - my shots, tactics, how I play against top opponents," said Wozniak. "We're working on every shot: slice, topspin, drop shots.
"We'll see at tournaments how it goes."
Zofka was impressed by his new protégé.
"She's very motivated, she's determined and she wants to compete as soon as possible," said Zofka. "I'm doing my best to bring her back to where she was because she's a great player and it's really nice to work with her.
"She has excellent timing, unbelievable. I'd say considering her timing and speed of the racket she's like a top 10 player."
Zofka will accompany Wozniak to tournaments to work on preparing game plans as well as technique.
"I'm working on the basis of what she can do and to add a few things I feel can help her game," he added. "A slice is one of those things.
"Volley as well because I'd like her to come a little bit earlier and more frequently to the net. She hits so well from the baseline, I said it will be easier for you if you can go to the net and finish it off because you can volley."
Zofka has coached pro players that include Cyril Suk and Barbara Schwartz and spent four years coaching junior players in Britain. He has also been colour commentator on Czech television for his country's Davis Cup and Fed Cup matches.
Canada will name it's Fed Cup team next week and it is likely to include Wozniak and Marino.